ELTR 1223
Survey of Renewable
Energy Technology
Alternative Transportation
Unit 11
Source:
Use Policy

This material was developed by Timothy J.
Wilhelm, P.E., Kankakee Community College,
with funding from the National Science
Foundation as part of ATE Grant No. 0802786.

All materials in this presentation are designed
and intended for educational use, only. They
may not be used for any publication or
commercial purposes.
Source:
Author, Editors/Reviewers
Author: Timothy J. Wilhelm, P.E., Kankakee
Community College
 Editors/Reviewers / Modifiers:
 Chris Miller Heartland Community College

Source:
Objectives
Students will be able to describe and discuss, in
simple terms, an example of a more efficient
“ICE” vehicle.
 Students will be able to describe and discuss, in
simple terms, an example of an electric-drive
vehicle.


Source:
Objectives
Students will be able to describe and discuss, in
simple terms, an example of a compressed-airdrive vehicle.
 Students will be able to describe and discuss, in
simple terms, an example of an advanced masstransportation technique.

Source:
What is “Transportation”
“Transportation is the movement of people and
goods from one location to another. Throughout
history, the economic wealth and military power of
a people or a nation have been closely tied to
efficient methods of transportation. Transportation
provides access to natural resources and promotes
trade, allowing a nation to accumulate wealth and
power. Transportation also allows the movement of
soldiers, equipment, and supplies so that a nation
can wage war.”
What is “Transportation?”
•
•
In this context, the word “transportation” is
assumed to imply any means of movement other
than an individual human in the act of moving
himself or herself via walking, running, or
jumping.
In this context, the word “transportation” is
assumed to imply the use of devices or
machines to move people and goods from one
location to another.
What is “Transportation?”

Transportation “devices or machines” can move
goods and personnel over…
•
•
•

land,
water,
or through the air.
The “device or machine” just needs to get them
from one place to another.
What is “Transportation?”

Movement of people and goods is the
movement of mass over a given distance…
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Mass x Acceleration = Force
Force x Distance = Work, or ENERGY
Transportation “devices or machines” are
ENERGY CONVERTERS.

Most of the time this involves burning fuels –
converting stored chemical energy into mechanical
energy.
“Alternative Transportation?”
“Alternative Transportation” is about finding
new ways to affect the necessary movement of
people and goods, using less (or no) fossil fuels
as the primary energy source.
 “Alternative Transportation” implies
improvements in vehicle design that will…

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conserve fossil fuels (add efficiency);
use renewable fuels
Eliminate the need for fuels
Ground Transportation

Walking is the earliest
and most readily
available form of
ground transportation.

Improvements and
efficiencies can be made!
Source:
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience
/uploaded_images/walking_small-721973.jpg
Ground Transportation

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Walking places stresses on knee
and hip joints.
Walking places huge stresses on
feet, and abrasion can lead to
blistering and open sores.
High tech shoes reduce stresses
and add mileage.
“Nordic” hiking sticks reduce
the effective weight-load on
ankle, knee and hip joints is said
to be reduced by up to 30%
(being debated and studied).
Source: http://munfitnessblog.com/wpcontent/uploads/2008/01/walk-in-group.jpg
One of the best reasons to enjoy modern,
Nordic walking…
Source: http://jhschmitt.itravelhq.com/images/booktravel/outdoors.jpg
Ground Transportation

Animal assisted,
wheeled vehicles are
still in very wide use
today, throughout the
world, as is using
animals themselves as
vehicles.
Source:
http://www.hartytoursegypt.com/img/img_special/specials_camel.jpg
“What is the most energy efficient groundtransportation machine?”

The bicycle is the world’s most efficient form of
transportation, available today…calories in
(food) vs. miles traveled.
Source:
http://criticalmass.dixxo.com/staticmedia/1437_p1050366_medium.j
pg
Source: http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff235/masterofthemall/from%20the%20street/lol_2.jpg
Source: http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4516/87131072vt6.jpg
Source:
http://dl.ziza.ru/other/042007/11/logistic/07_logistic_34
859.jpg
Recumbent Bicycles
Source: http://www.bustedspoke.com/ImagesNews/bsNews2391.jpg
Recumbent Bicycles
3-Way-Powered
Recumbent Trike
Beyond the Bicycle
•
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Beyond the bicycle, most of our conventional
transportation machines are powered by ICE –
Internal Combustion Engines – that consume
conventional, petroleum-based fuels.
Most of our conventional transportation machines
are designed for small-scale, individualized transport
and commuting.
–
–
This is more schedule-flexible and allows the most
individual freedom.
From a societal perspective, this is the most energy
Inefficient.
Peak Oil Problem and Modern
Transportation
Making “ICE” More Efficient
Source: http://www.ridelust.com/wp-content/uploads/Smart-Car.jpg
Making “ICE” More Efficient
Source: http://img1.qq.com/auto/pics/10635/10635319.jpg
Making “ICE” More Efficient
Source: http://www.ize.hu/_files/pics/00002/00002412.jpg
Alternate Fuels for ICE Vehicles

Alcohol fuels (Ethanol and Methanol)

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Require greater fuel:air ratio. Alcohols have “built-in”
O2.
Compression ratio can be increased. Alcohols have a
higher “Octane.”
Ethanol has about 56% the energy density of
gasoline.
Methanol has about 85% the energy density of
Ethanol.
Alternate Fuels for ICE Vehicles
•
Bio-diesel
–
–
•
Bio-diesel has about 79% the energy density of petrodiesel.
Little or no engine conversion required.
LNG and LPG
–
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LPG has about 78% the energy density of gasoline.
LNG has about 85% the energy density of LPG.
Both have higher octane ratings than gasoline.
Both require a special engine-conversion kit.
Alternate Fuels for ICE Vehicles

Hydrogen Combustion


Liquefied hydrogen has about 25% the energy density
of gasoline…OUCH!
Very difficult to store

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Transfer losses
Transport losses
Overall infrastructure and system efficiencies are very
low
Very Clean Burning!
Hybrids vs. Plug-in Hybrids vs. EVs

Hybrid automobiles are primarily ICE-driven,
with a small battery pack and an electric-motor
assist.
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ICE shuts off at stop light.
Electric motor drive vehicle up to hi-teens to lo-20s
mph, and then ICE kicks in.
Two separate drive trains.
Lots of computer power!
Hybrids vs. Plug-in Hybrids vs. EVs
•
EV = Electric Vehicle, and implies batterypowered
–
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Large battery pack – often up to an over 100VDC.
Large electric motor.
Solid-state, PWM controller.
Dynamic braking.
Limited range.
No waste heat available for winter!!!
“Stealth” silent running…require back-up beeper!
Charge overnight in the garage.
2009 Tesla Raodster
Source: http://motorcrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tesla-roadster.jpg
The Corbin Sparrow
Source: http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/12/2006/05/smallish_corbin_sparrow_new.jpg
Electric
Vehicle
Conversions
Ford Ranger-EV
Source:
http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/
2008/07/ford-ranger-ev-o-ebay-1.jpg
Ford Focus Genovation
Two-Wheeled EVs
Source: http://www.treehugger.com/electricmotorcycle-photo-01.jpg
Source:
http://walyou.com/img/electric_motorcycle_gprs_eboxer.jpg
New “Battery” Technology
Hybrids vs. Plug-in Hybrids vs. EVs

Plug-in Hybrids

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Just a battery-based electric vehicle, BUT…
Has an on-board, fuel-fired engine-generator set.
Only ONE drive train.
The engine-generator set strictly charges the batteries
on-the-fly, extending the effective range of the
vehicle.
Most manufacturers have been working on plug-in
hybrids, BUT…
The Chevy Volt
Source: http://www.dashboardnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/chevy-volt-concept-07.jpg
The Fisker Karma
Source: http://go635254.s3.amazonaws.com/gas2/files/2009/09/fisker-karma006.jpg
Compressed Air Car!
Source: http://www.ecologie.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mdi-citycats.jpg
More Efficiency with Mass Ground
Transportation!
Rail transport is widely
used in other parts of
the world, due to its
greater energy and cost
efficiency.
 The latest in hi-tech rail
is the “Mag-Lev” train.

Water Transportation
Source: http://www.samhitacg.com/images/Schooner%20.jpg
Water Transportation
Source: http://www.superyachttimes.com/articles/Image/Companies/Aeroyacht/2009-06-Aeroyacht-110/Aeroyacht-110-02.jpg
Water Transportation
Source: http://messingaboutinboats.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c05bf53ef0134802a6ebc970c-320wi
Alternative Air Transportation

Diesel-Engine Aircraft!
Source: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/5169665697_dee458269b.jpg
Alternative Air Transportation

New “flying car” developments!
Source: http://www.janetcharltonshollywood.com/images/2010/11/terrafugiatransition-roadable-aircraft-2.jpg
“New” Propulsion

The Death of Rocketry, by Robert Cook

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Inertial propulsion…
Reactionless propulsion…
The Dean Drive…
University of Toledo, Dr. William J.
Hooper’s “Motional Electric Field
Generator”

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Claimed to make a secondary gravitational
field…
E = B x V … anti-gravity?
“New” Propulsion

Biefeld-Brown Effect
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Electro-static propulsion…
Electro-gravitics…
Electro-kinetics…


Dr. Tom Valone, Integrity Research Institute, Washington,
DC
Thomas Townsend Brown…
Source: http://www.borderlands.de/gravity.bb-effect_00.jpg
Source: http://regmedia.co.uk/2009/03/31/greenbird_2.jpg